Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged the Centre to continue special package to the state to compensate for loss of assets arising out of carving Jharkhand out of it and sought an additional assistance of Rs 20000 crore over the next five years for infrastructure development.

"The Centre should not only continue with the special package to Bihar to compensate it for losses due to the reorganization of the state over a decade ago, but also provide an additional assistance of Rs. 20,000 over the next five years for infrastructure development in sectors like road, electricity, irrigation," Kumar told reporters.

Kumar indicated that he would raise these demands with the Planning Commission at a meeting a day after Tuesday in New Delhi and between a meeting with the plan panel officials and the state officials tomorrow during discussion over the plan size of Bihar.

He said that the meeting with the Planning Commission would be held for approval of the state's plan size of Rs 28,000 crore for the fiscal year 2012-13 which the state government had already finalized and intimated the plan panel in advance.

The Chief Minister said that the state's plan size of Rs 28,000 crore for the ongoing fiscal year matched with the discussion between the plan panel and the state finance department officials. (Agencies)